Chicano theatre within the United States began when the Spanish arrived in North America, bringing with them their strong Christianity and biblical stories, that in turn dominated Chicano theatre during the 16th century. Theatre began to be almost entirely religious based, and was largely performed by amateurs within the community. Later, with establishment of rail roads connecting the United States, professional theatre troupes were able to travel throughout the Southwest. The most notable troupe was the Hernandez-Villalongin troupe that was primarily made up of the families of their name and trained their actors from a young age to perform in the highest quality. With the Mexican Revolution in 1910 however, there was a large movement of Mexicans toward the northern frontier, shifting from their primary location in the South. With this movement, most theatre troupes died out and faded into non-existence, with the exception of one major company: la Compania Dramatica de Carlos Villalongin. The company began to use primarily local actors and writers, as well as having one central performance space, following some of the trends of American theatre. Luis Valdez delved into the farm strikes and discrimination of Mexican-Americans within school systems, bringing attention to the social difficulties of being a Mexican-American within America, and is therefore credited as the founder and father of Chicano theatre.
Cuban-American theatre largely differed from that of Mexican-Americans. It originated in the 1800s and was primarily performed by the immigrant communities within New York City and lower Florida. A mixture of professional and amateur actors made up the companies responsible for these performances, and had gained great success and popularity within the Hispanic community by the end of the century. The Hispanic Federal Theatre Project stepped in and provided funding for many shows in Tampa, Florida in the early 20th century. The largest event to impact Cuban-American theatre at this time, however, was the Cuban Revolution in 1959, as Cuban-Americans sought recognition and aid from America to their homeland. American playwrights with Cuban cultural roots began to create plays and other works, addressing the struggles and culture of Cuban-Americans.
Hispanic Theatre has been prominent in the United States, deriving primarily from Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. It originally focused on religion and biblical stories, but branched out in the 1960s to address the civil rights movement and how it pertained to Hispanics within the United States. Hispanic theatre consists of three main facets: Chicano theatre, Cuban-American theatre, and Nuyorican theatre (in NY). Each type differs in its amount of English within the show, as well as the topics each discusses and portrays.
Puerto-Ricans within America deeply wanted to preserve the unique qualities and vales of Puerto Rico, and thus used theatre to perpetuate their culture and share its aspects with their children and future generations. Rather than incorporating various aspects of American theatre, Puerto-rican theatre as intentionally remained culturally unique and distinct. This form of theatre originally stemmed from Spanish missionary tales performed to reach the rural audiences within Puerto Rico. With the rise of agriculture in the US, there was a max influx of immigrating from Puerto Rico; as Puerto-Ricans moved to their new home, there was a strong desire to preserve their culture, especially with the rise of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Theatre provided a way to keep their values and traditions alive as they struggled through new life in America, sharing their values and culture with their children and future generations. Puerto-rican theatre primarily focuses on the differences between NYC and the island, as the island is warm, fruitful paradise and the city is a cold, industrial wasteland. Puerto Rican theatre has continued to grow in recent years, primarily addressing Puerto Rican audiences and values.
Cuban-American theatre largely differed from that of Mexican-Americans. It originated in the 1800s and was primarily performed by the immigrant communities within New York City and lower Florida. A mixture of professional and amateur actors made up the companies responsible for these performances, and had gained great success and popularity within the Hispanic community by the end of the century. The Hispanic Federal Theatre Project stepped in and provided funding for many shows in Tampa, Florida in the early 20th century. The largest event to impact Cuban-American theatre at this time, however, was the Cuban Revolution in 1959, as Cuban-Americans sought recognition and aid from America to their homeland. American playwrights with Cuban cultural roots began to create plays and other works, addressing the struggles and culture of Cuban-Americans.
Hispanic Theatre has been prominent in the United States, deriving primarily from Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. It originally focused on religion and biblical stories, but branched out in the 1960s to address the civil rights movement and how it pertained to Hispanics within the United States. Hispanic theatre consists of three main facets: Chicano theatre, Cuban-American theatre, and Nuyorican theatre (in NY). Each type differs in its amount of English within the show, as well as the topics each discusses and portrays.
Puerto-Ricans within America deeply wanted to preserve the unique qualities and vales of Puerto Rico, and thus used theatre to perpetuate their culture and share its aspects with their children and future generations. Rather than incorporating various aspects of American theatre, Puerto-rican theatre as intentionally remained culturally unique and distinct. This form of theatre originally stemmed from Spanish missionary tales performed to reach the rural audiences within Puerto Rico. With the rise of agriculture in the US, there was a max influx of immigrating from Puerto Rico; as Puerto-Ricans moved to their new home, there was a strong desire to preserve their culture, especially with the rise of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Theatre provided a way to keep their values and traditions alive as they struggled through new life in America, sharing their values and culture with their children and future generations. Puerto-rican theatre primarily focuses on the differences between NYC and the island, as the island is warm, fruitful paradise and the city is a cold, industrial wasteland. Puerto Rican theatre has continued to grow in recent years, primarily addressing Puerto Rican audiences and values.